


Memories of Magneto

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, Erik has Issues, Gen, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Mistaken Identity, Post-X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Everyone in the mansion distrusts and fears Magneto. Erik understands, but it doesn't make it easier to live with the glares and muttered comments. That is, until they forget that that the once-villain is the same man as Charles's partner, Erik.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Jean Grey & Erik Lehnsherr
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83
Collections: Secret Mutant Madness 2019





	Memories of Magneto

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [bocje_ce_ustu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bocje_ce_ustu/pseuds/bocje_ce_ustu) in the [secret_mutant_madness_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/secret_mutant_madness_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Since Erik came to live at the mansion (in whatever timeline or canon AU you think suit), he's been used to the distrust of its inhabitants... until one day, he wakes up to find everyone eerily kind and friendly towards him. Almost as if no one remembers he is (or at least was, once) the fearsome Magneto.

Returning to the mansion after losing his darling wife and daughter wasn't easy, but it was the right thing to do. Erik had said goodbye to the two people he cared about most of all, and now there was nothing left for him other than Charles. Charles who he knew his destiny was tied to, Charles who had found his own kind of success, and offered him a sanctuary. 

It was hard, because when he looked at Charles, he saw the man he'd loved, the man he'd failed again and again. Charles never looked at him with hate, even when the home he loved lied shattered, even when there had been untold deaths because of his weakness - Charles never hated him.

Charles should have hated him. He deserved hatred.

The others hated him. He tried not to let it bother him, because it was deserved. He was here, invading their sanctuary, disturbing the fragile peace that they had found, and he was sorry. He regretted the way his own kind shrunk from him, the whispers in the corridor, how one little girl yelped in shock at seeing him and fell through the floor. Luckily she was fine, if a little embarrassed. He understood - this was their space, he was an intruder. 

So he kept his head down, and smiled at them, and ate food in his and Charles's room once he'd been able to build enough of the mansion that individual rooms were an option.

"You have to be more sociable," Charles told him. "They won't ever like you if they don't get to know you. Come on. Come downstairs."

Erik sighed, but he was willing to give it a go. After everything, Charles at least deserved for him to try. So he shouldered their hate, and tried to meet it with friendship and kindness, so that if they wanted to get to know him they could. These were his people. The mutants he had always worked to protect. He was an adult, and could handle glares shot across the dinner table.

There was a total of three of the students that tolerated him - maybe not liked, but at least accepted his presence. One of them was Kurt, the blue German boy that Raven had rescued, who was happy to sit with him and talk in his old language. Another was Peter, the silver-haired speedster with a broken leg. The last was Jean, the girl who helped him with the rebuilding and seemed to be dating Alex's little brother - a telepath like Charles, if uncontrolled and afraid. 

"It's hard for you, isn't it?" She asked one evening, when she found him in a quiet corner of the library, a book open but unread on his lap. "The way they look at you I mean. You pretend not to mind, but-"

"I hurt them." Erik said softly. "Not intentionally. But I did. And it brings back memories I thought... that I thought were gone. But I stay here, with Charles."

"You're good for the Professor." She said softly. "I'm glad you are here."

"I'm glad I am here too." He reassured her, taking a sip of his coffee. "Please don't worry about it."

She nodded, and frowned a little.

"I should go to bed now," he murmured, fairly sure that at some point other children would troop up towards the library to get some homework done, and he didn't want to be there when that happened. 

She stepped aside, and he headed down to Charles's bedroom.

***

The next morning, Erik woke up, Charles curled against him, He pressed a kiss to Charles's forehead.  
"Good morning," Charles murmured, slowly blinking awake. He smiled, the way he always did, to see Erik. Erik leaned in, kissing him tenderly for a moment before he pulled away with a sigh.  
"Do you have classes today?"

"It's a Thursday, so yes." Charles pointed out, taking a moment to cuddle up with Erik before letting go. Erik made a quick use of the bathroom before he headed across to breakfast.

"Hallo," Kurt greeted him, while Scott nodded in his direction.

"Kettle's on!" Storm told him. "You want coffee, black and sugar right?"

"Right..." He agreed, frowning. His fellow horseman had never been particularly friendly towards him, finding his presence reminded her of what had happened under Apocalypse's hand.

"Here you go!" she handed it over, and Scott passed over the cereal without a muttered comment.

Something was weird.

The day continued to be very strange. All of the children greeted him. Even Kitty smiled to see him. By the time it was dinner, and Hank handed him over his plate without any muttered criticism, Erik was sure something was wrong.  
 _Charles, does this seem odd to you?_ He couldn't help hoping that his boyfriend would tell him he was being ridiculous, that everything was normal, that he was just being paranoid. That wasn't what happened.

_Erik, I'm about to say something. If I'm wrong it might go badly, but if it ... if I'm right, we've got far more of a problem. Could you please watch the students._

Erik slowly inclined his head. He trusted Charles, probably more than he should. He took a mouthful of food, as Charles cleared his throat.  
"It's been so good having all of your support," he said when the students turned towards them. "After all, I know that the past few weeks have been a stressful time for all of us, especially given the damage that Magneto did to the school." 

There was nodding of agreement, but only one student looked towards him - Jean. All the others simply smiled at Charles and nodded as though everything was normal. 

Erik stared at Jean, and she looked back at him, then returned to eating her pasta as though nothing had happened.

_Charles?_

_She's made them forget. Every one of them. They don't know who you are. No, that isn't... I mean, they know you're Erik. They know you're my partner. But they don't know you're Magneto._ Charles paused, sounding almost emotional. _We can ask her to put it back. But... you've been lonely. No other harm has been done, as far as I can tell. It's..._

 _I want them to know._ Erik cut off Charles's ruminations before he could dive too deeply into guilt and loss and concern. _What happened, happened. I can't run from it or pretend it didn't happen, even if I long for that to be the case. They deserve the truth._

Charles sent back a flood of warmth, reaching out and squeezing his hand.   
_We can talk to her after dinner._

Erik nodded, enjoying the fact that at least for a little while he wasn't causing fear. He knew it wouldn't last, but it was good for once to not be seen as a threat.

"Jean, if you could stay behind?" Charles asked as the children all headed off to finish their homework and go to their rooms, clearing their plates as they went.

Jean nodded, fidgeting slightly. Scott hugged her and then left, and after a few moments it was just the three of them alone in the room.

"Jean." Charles looked at her curiously. "I know you were trying to help there, and you wanted to protect Erik."

"It's not fair," she muttered. "They weren't there. He stopped him. He stopped him with all of us, and they act like he's some kind of monster. Everyone just jumps away, and he... he doesn't deserve it." She sighed. "He's been good to us, and I hate that he has to hide."

"I know." Charles said softly, and Erik looked at her in surprise. "But we can't alter people's minds without their permission, and even then... it's something we should only do with the utmost of care." He reached out towards her, a sad look in his eyes. "You have so much power. You have to be careful Jean, or someone could get really hurt."

"I didn't entirely mean to do it." Jean muttered. "I just... was thinking it was unfair, and then in the morning-"

"They didn't remember?"

She nodded, her eyes downcast, blinking back tears, and Erik cleared his throat. She looked up at him.

"Thank you," Erik murmured. "That was... a very stupid thing that you did. . but kind. Thank you. I'm glad that you... that someone wanted to support me, even if it wasn't necessarily the best way to go about it."

"We can fix this." Charles agreed. "But I think you owe Erik an apology."

The teenager nodded.   
"I just wanted them to give you a chance."

"I know. Look, can we make sure she's not... that they don't blame her for forgetting?"

Charles sighed slightly, but nodded, leaning in and kissing Erik.   
"We'll be a little while sorting this out."

"Take as long as you need." Erik answered, staying sitting down at the table. He wasn't going to go anywhere as they solved this. 

Jean and Charles reached for each others' hands, their eyes closing. 

It was almost an hour later when they pulled apart, both looking exhausted. Jean nodded, mumbling and slipping away, while Charles rubbed at his forehead.  
"It's done," he said simply. "They know who you are again. They'll be back to being scared of you."

"Maybe," Erik agreed, getting out of his seat and waiting for Charles to join him, the two of them making their way to their shared bedroom. "But you know the truth. That's what matters."

***

The next day, the other residents of the mansion had once again been cold and distant towards Erik, but there wasn't the outright hate he was used to. They knew who he was, what he was, but they seemed to be aware of both sides of it - that he was Charles's lover, as well as the monster they feared. 

It took time, but one day he found that no one flinched back from him, not from ignorance, but from knowledge. He'd lost so much, but he again had a home.


End file.
